Iowa native prepares to become U-S Agriculture Secretary

A 54-year-old who grew up on a northeast Iowa farm is expected to be sworn in Thursday as the nation’s new Secretary of Agriculture. Mike Johanns is already in Washington, D.C. for President Bush’s inaugural festivities.Johans says he admires President Bush and is anxious to go to work for him.Johanns is an Osage native and is currently governor of Nebraska, a job he’ll give up to become the nation’s 28th Ag Secretary when, if all goes according to plan, he’ll be confirmed by the Senate Thursday. In one of his last acts as governor, Johanns submitted a six-billion dollar two-year budget to the Nebraska legislature last week. Johanns says he’s making the mental transition for the new federal job and completing the budget was “really the last major responsibility that I needed to check off the list.” When Johanns leaves office, Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman will be sworn in as Nebraska’s top state leader.